New resident in the tropical house at Chemnitz Zoo: Oscar, a two-fingered sloth from Dresden Zoo
A new resident has moved into his enclosure in the tropical house: A male two-fingered sloth has been brought to Chemnitz from Dresden Zoo. Zoo director Anja Dube: "We are very happy about our new arrival! The two zoos are following a recommendation from the sloth studbook keeper to give the female two-fingered sloth, which has been kept in Chemnitz since 2008, a new partner."
The new arrival is called Oscar and was born at Dresden Zoo in January 2009. According to the zoo director, the Chemnitz female sloth Kathrin took the arrival of her new mate very calmly: "There was no aggression between the two animals. Both sloths have a widely ramified network of branches and two sleeping boxes at their disposal in the tropical house. The capybaras live on the lower floor of the enclosure during the cold season."
Sloths are at home in the upper storeys of the tropical forests of South America. Their diet of leaves is relatively low in energy, so they have to use their body energy sparingly. They move very slowly and sleep up to 20 hours a day. The coat has a special feature, as the crown of the head does not run along the spine (as is usual in mammals), but on the ventral side. This allows rainwater to run off easily when the animals hang upside down in the branches.
More information online at www.tierpark-chemnitz.de
Opening hours of the zoo: 09:00-16:00, last admission 15:00
Opening hours of the wildlife park: 08:00 to 16:00